The 88 meter long, 1156 dwt freighter Dong He caught fire near Nagasaki, Japan. The fire started in the cargo hold and could not be contained by the crew.  The Dong He sent out a distress call requesting assistance with the Japanese Coast Guard responding.  A plane was dispatched and quickly spotted the burning freighter.   Several patrol ships were then directed to the scene.  The 12 crewmen on board were safely evacuated.   The patrol vessels attempted to put out the fire using water canons.  The Dong He was en route to Haimen, China from Nagoya, Japan with 1500 tons of scrap.